Hybrid Electric Vehicle

Hybrid electric vehicles have arrived in my county. The new wave of mass transit technology has landed on my front door step. These electric hybrid vehicles operate on the same principles as the Toyota prius and the other popular hybrid models that are available today.

Electric hybrid vehicles

The big difference is, instead of a gas engine, this bus has a 5.9 L Cummings ISB common rail diesel engine. This diesel engine is coupled with a hi torque electric motor and power is blended to the wheels through an Alison CVT transmission.

The constant variable transmission is much like driving a snowmobile where you never feel the transmission up shift to the next gear. The transmission changes gear ratios on the fly to provide more speed at the optimum RPMs.

Electric hybrid diesels

Another thing that is different then on many hybrid vehicles is that the diesel engine never shuts off. In the best case scenario when the electric motor is driving the vehicle the diesel engine is still idling. The old transit buses received somewhere around eight to 10 miles per gallon.

The new hybrid electric transit vehicle will double the miles per gallon and should receive 16 to 20 miles per gallon. These specifications are for the ultimate of city driving. A transit bus is a stop and go vehicle and if it is lucky may reach 40 mph a few times during the day. Note that the batteries are on the roof of the electric hybrid vehicle and are recharged by engine braking.

Another interesting part about the diesel side of the vehicle is that this diesel engine manufactured by Cummings meets all of the latest alternative fuels emissions standards. You will not see belching black smoke from the fancy exhaust pipe shown in the picture below. The reason is that the 2009 standards include a particulate filter. This filter will pull most of the carbon from the exhaust being emitted from the tailpipe.

hybrid electric

These particulate filters are new to the market and do require service. Read more